M Night Shyamalamadingdong just needs someone to take over his movies right before the climax to bring them home. He's great at setting a scene (sometimes) and building tension...but when the twist happens the bubble bursts and everything just dies. I liked The Village...right up until the twist. Liked Signs...right up until it died. The Sixth Sense is the only one of his that I thought followed through enough to be a good complete movie. I hated Unbreakable. Mrs PC and I saw that on New Years Eve once upon a time...and we've both treated his movies with great caution ever since. Devil and the Happening were both so bad they slid into parody. My daughter once saw the Last Airbender, and she was a huge fan of the show. She was FURIOUS after coming back from the theatre. Like, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen her that mad in her life.

Won't be seeing the new one.

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The Happening and The Last Airbender might be the 2 worst movies I've ever seen. And Im not exaggerating.

I was sucked into this one from the very beginning. Though the story is formulaic for a thriller, the acting from John Cho is superb and the attention to detail by all involved makes this feel as authentic as possible.

Yeah, it's a disaster. There is the start of some interesting food for thought/debate/discussion in the first 30minutes or so regarding human cloning and all it's real life circumstances (a few other brain-twisting tidbits surrounding it come later throughout the film too), but other than that it's so bad in so so so many ways, and DEFINITELY not the so bad it's good type.

It's amazing how way back when Orson Welles couldn't find any studio willing to finance his projects, but Shyamalan keeps making bad movie after bad movie. What is Glass, like, his ninth turkey in a row?

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Honestly I felt like he was on a bit of a minor roll with his previous two films.

The Visit is mostly forgettable, but it was a decent mix of comedy and horror. I thought it was a fun genre film.

Split is a pretty decent horror/thriller that is elevated by a ridiculously fun and impressive over the top performance by James McAvoy.

I'm not sure I'd ever really recommend The Visit as truly worth watching unless you're a fan of horror movies. I think the Split is worthwhile regardless just to see an actor really give it his all.

But then again, this comes from someone who tends to enjoy horror whether it's good or not.

So yeah, I saw it. It's actually okay until about the hour mark. Then I had to keep pausing the movie so I could sputter in disbelief and facepalm for a bit before I could continue. Lando Calrissian as a bi/robo-sexual card cheat was the low point. And that's too bad, because normally I like Donald Glover. Various competent actors show up; Paul Bettany, Thandi Newton, Woody Harrelson and others show up to strut their stuff...and die. The biggest surprise was reserved for the end...when the ending credits rolled and Ron Howard was listed as the director for this incredible piece of ****. I totally forgot he was even involved.

Yeah, it's bad. Not necessarily prequel bad, but bad nonetheless. The guy playing Han doesn't even look like Harrison Ford. He looks a lot more like a young Ray Liotta a la Goodfellas.

On Netflix now. Which is the best possible way to see it; for free so nobody involved could be rewarded for it.

BlacKkKlansman - 8/10. Fairly entertaining, surprisingly funny at times. I have to say, the actor who played councilman Clay Davis on The Wire saying his classic line at the beginning could have ruined my tv if I had some liquid in my mouth. I had to pause because I was laughing so hard. Almost took me out of the movie.

Of course I paid attention to Jasper Pääkkönen's acting and he did a good job. But he didn't quite pull off the accent. Sounded a bit too much like a non-American speaking in a southern/redneck accent. The Harry Belafonte's character's story was gruesome and the ending scenes were all sorts of sad and infuriating (in a general "we still have not evolved as human beings"sense). Definitely looked like a Spike Lee movie but I've seen better movies from him.

Usual well-made slice-of-life by Jarmusch but its pacing is a bit to sleepy in the first act and he's great at setting up a storyline but not as great at doing anything with it. I'm all for aimless but aimless then needs better dialogue and something with feeling.

I understood what the message behind the movie was, just dull, boring at times and unneccesary graphic violent scenes just to get a reaction where you're like what just happened?

I know it's been on many 'great movies list' but it's just not my cup of tea. Not for everyone.

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Well... That's a 10/10 for me. Amazing film that deals with lots of complex stuff. I'm afraid that you didn't really get where it was going if you think the one violent scene was there only to cause a reaction (and I've seen it twice in theater and I've actually never seen an audience react as hard to anything, it is real simple but really efficient). It's horrible and it's sudden, but it forces you to look at what you don't want to see, which is an amazing way to include the spectator in the whole guilt trip the character (and the nation by extension) has to face.

"In the last moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain's uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from."

***

The Captain didn't move me - which is a shock given the fascinating subject matter and the fact that it's a true story. I have no explanation as to why it left me cold, but there wasn't one moment where I felt sick, depressed, angry, or any emotion you'd expect from this kind of movie. The film felt superficial / empty.

"In the last moments of World War II, a young German soldier fighting for survival finds a Nazi captain's uniform. Impersonating an officer, the man quickly takes on the monstrous identity of the perpetrators he is trying to escape from."

***

The Captain didn't move me - which is a shock given the fascinating subject matter and the fact that it's a true story. I have no explanation as to why it left me cold, but there wasn't one moment where I felt sick, depressed, angry, or any emotion you'd expect from this kind of movie. The film felt superficial / empty.

Having said all that, the two hour run time never dragged.

5.5/10

The spoken language is German.

Movie Trailer :

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I'd rate it a half point higher, but, I agree, though well told, The Captain is not a terribly involving story. We don't get enough of Herold's backstory to connect with him in any way, and he becomes more despicable yet no more particular as the movie progresses. Germans behaving badly to other Germans during the end of World War II ain't exactly going to bring the hankies out either, so the movie seems to be only reiterating what we all already know about power's ability to corrupt (if you need to rely on Nazis to make that point, that's more than a bit unimaginative as well). I did like the black and white cinematography and the snappy direction, though.

Typically quirky Spike Jonze. I mean, who's not going to fall in love with Scarlett Johansson's voice? I thought it was a little too optimistic about people accepting the relationship, with only the ex-wife seemingly being like "Oh, you're ****ed up". It's a weird little story that the actors and their performances make far better than the material they work with. 7/10

Typically quirky Spike Jonze. I mean, who's not going to fall in love with Scarlett Johansson's voice? I thought it was a little too optimistic about people accepting the relationship, with only the ex-wife seemingly being like "Oh, you're ****ed up". It's a weird little story that the actors and their performances make far better than the material they work with. 7/10

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What's interesting is that they switched the voice from another actress. It's hard to imagine anyone else aside from Scarlett Johansson.

What's interesting is that they switched the voice from another actress. It's hard to imagine anyone else aside from Scarlett Johansson.

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Furthermore apparently she and Phoenix had minimal direct vocal interaction. She came in and VO'd all the old lines and Phoenix reshot a couple scenes to fit her tone. I really felt both deserved Oscar consideration.

I'd rate it a half point higher, but, I agree, though well told, The Captain is not a terribly involving story. We don't get enough of Herold's backstory to connect with him in any way, and he becomes more despicable yet no more particular as the movie progresses. Germans behaving badly to other Germans during the end of World War II ain't exactly going to bring the hankies out either, so the movie seems to be only reiterating what we all already know about power's ability to corrupt (if you need to rely on Nazis to make that point, that's more than a bit unimaginative as well). I did like the black and white cinematography and the snappy direction, though.

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I agree.

I'm glad you felt the same way because, TBH, I was left similarly "cold" the first time I saw Schindler's List and I was starting to wonder if I'm just incapable of feeling anything after seeing a billion movies. But, then again, They Shall Not Grow Old moved me so... maybe I have a heart after all.

I'm just going to post a rolling commentary on these two films rather than a full review. I'm watching too many lately, trying to catch up on 2018 and besides, most of these have their own threads and have received much in comments already.

I caught Bohemian Rhapsody yesterday and I loved it. I guess it helps when you watch it along with some Queen fans. Some had posted negatively regarding historical inaccuracies, but these things don't bother me so much in biopics, it didn't in last year's two Churchill films either. I chalk it up to a bit of creative license. After watching it, I tend to agree with the Golden Globes awarding Rami Malek for the performance, I liked it better than Christian Bale's deadpan impersonation of Dick Cheney actually. And I actually enjoyed this musical better than A Star is Born. Perhaps it's because Rhapsody is a (relatively) true story, perhaps because I knew A Star is Born beforehand (I thought the Streisand version was better). Don't misunderstand, I liked A Star is Born, just Rhapsody better,

I thought for sure I'd like Vice, but I found the story too disjointed and weird for some reason. I had difficulty getting into it. It's as if the Director had difficulty deciding if he wanted to do a comedy or more serious piece and therefore missed on both counts. From trailers, I was thinking Bale had nailed the deadpan Cheney but I actually enjoyed Sam Rockwell's George Bush a bit more. I liked the film, just disappointed somewhat.

Perhaps I've been a bit harsh on my ratings this year. In retrospect I gave my three top English language films only 7.5's at the time, I might have to bump them up to 8's in hindsight. With that, I'd give Rhapsody a 7.0+ and Vice a 6.0 or 6.5.

The Sisters Brothers (2018) - That was a really neat movie. Audiard did a great job. He has another great film with The Prophet but I thought he had followed it up with something not quite as interesting in Rust and Bone. I'm happy to see him bounce back with an effort like this. The story is great, and Audiard uses the source material very well to flawlessly move between scene to scene, both narratively and technically, while adding his own touch to the narrative with some offbeat presentations. While the story was conventional, I found it unpredictable in a novelistic way which you rarely see with Hollywood films, and it's a shame that this was a box office bomb because I'd like to see mainstream American cinema be more willing to put money into these sorts of movies. The actors were all first-rate and I liked the lingering scenery that Audiard presents to the audience, giving time to the watcher to enjoy the visual images. Riz Ahmed's character is presented perfectly, with an understated mystical aura to him that I found powerful and delicately executed. I don't care for awards, but I think it's a performance that won't be talked about (it's not flashy) that deserves the highest of praise. And what to say of the fateful scene when the main characters are prospecting for gold in the fluorescent light, under the night sky, before Phoenix's character loses it...so well-done. The film's crew and cast deserve major credit. I've really grown to become a sucker for well-made westerns.

@kihei, where could I find you review for this film? I'd be curious to read what you think of it. Is it in this thread?

I find it a stressful city and my interactions there have never been particularly pleasant. I've been there a couple of times and I always sense a dreaded atmosphere while there. Also, I struggle with a certain prevalent mentality there - and in France in general - that is kind of enamored with the conviction of still being a relevant artistic, intellectual and culturally elite city/country when it isn't so anymore. As Chomsky said, mainstream french intellectuals seem more interested in making the cover of Le Monde than anything else. I'd sooner spend time in Bordeaux. And world-wide, I'm a sucker for the American Northeast and the Mediterranean region.

First Reformed: I found a review on this that encapsulates my views on the film absolutely perfectly.

Beautifully shot, and loved how drab everything looked. Incredible performance by Ethan Hawke as well. I usually hate voiceovers for narration in movies, but this one worked incredibly well. Also had a lot of good humor mixed in.

Main issue was that the politics behind the movie felt ham-fisted and I thought the climax came across as a bit goofy, although I didn't mind the very ending myself. And as the review mentioned, the score in this was bizarrely used and very forgettable.

Overall, quite good though.

Thoroughbreds: This one was on my radar as a bit of an under the radar sleeper hit. It really didn't connect with me at all though. I felt a lot of the dialogue and decisions made were just edgy for the sake of being edgy. Some interesting camerawork (I liked some of the longshots through the house in here), but not much else beyond that. I laughed once or twice, and am a huge fan of dark comedies.

Mandy: This is basically everything I hoped it would be, and ranks right up there among my favorites of the year. It's one of my biggest pet peeves when someone tries to talk down on a movie for being "style over substance". A massive part of movies is the visual aesthetic, and this nails that perfectly. Such an enjoyable and unique watch, and threw in just the right amount of absurdist Cage humor.

Reign Of The Supermen (animated): 9-/10. Better than the Death Of Superman. The animation was or rather is still really cheap looking at times. Especially at the end. Otherwise, really enjoyable. Nice seeing a certain character in a classic outfit in the post-credits scene.